Colorado Trip Reports

Awesome photos. You guys made it up there on a great day!

 

Awesome Pics John. It was great to meet you and trust me not all trips are this long. We just added an additional trail this go round to make it a full day.

I still don't know how this happened exactly but I just had to straighten out some sheet metal under the bed and solder together a couple of wires and I was good as new again. Now I understand why I wasn't going anywhere.

 

By the way @CoTacoTRD, that was Waldorf Mine we were at. They must have caved it in. I checked Google Earth.

Also, the actual peak for Argentine pass is 13,738 ft. It wasn't the direction the hikers went. It's the opposite. I think South East. You can see it in the picture you took of all 3 of our trucks at the top.

 

Is that the rock play pile on RC after the oil slick?

 

Yeap. I played and wanted to take that rock with me.

 

Now that you mention it, it's kind of obvious. At first I thought you'd just changed out the front lights, but now that I actually look... headlights, an ARB, and probably many more things obvious than that as far as 4runner vs Tacoma... I was having a busy day and not paying attention I guess. Regardless, all comments still apply for both - nice rigs. Damn I wish I had more money.

 

Gramps that's the one. They know the history well, one of the guys said his aunt lived in the area during the mines heyday and ran the boarding house for all the miners looking to hit it big. He explained each trail in the area and it's past uses. Wish I had listened carefully enough to explain

 

I spotted you at the road construction right above the turn to Alpine loop on Sat morning. Pretty easy to notice sweet set up like that coming at you. I was in my black 3rd gen 4runner, thinking you waved back. Guess you did Black bear that day, We ran Poughkeepsie that morning to corkscrew. It was a little slippery but we dodged the major rainstorms somehow.
Here I am not high centered but I'm not getting up this line either. I looking for my ARB switched that fell off under the seat. No this isn't the wall. Yes I could've easily gone right around this but what's the fun in that? That's not why we build them.




Top of corkscrew

 

Hell yeah dude thanks. I do remember seeing your truck. Yeah we ran black bear sat morning. We dodged the rain for a bit y til we camped at Alta lakes. Came through pretty hard for a bit but then opened up for some sweet star viewing.

 

My wife and I loaded up the dogs on Saturday morning and headed south toward Medano Pass and Great Sand Dunes National Park.
I always have a camera with me but I always end up having too much fun enjoying the moment to remember to take photos.

So, these are the ones that I did get.

Headed up Medano Pass. Easy going exept for one moderately tippy rock section. No pics as I was driving and my wife was learning how to spot.


Our campsite on the first night with a storm rolling in. This is about half way down the west side of the pass.



Staying dry with rain and strong wind whipping up the canyon. Pretty high winds all night long. The RTT is worth its hefty price tag on nights like that.


Snorkel Cam


There are about 7 water crossings on the way to the dunes. None of the more than two feet deep this time of year. I'll do better at getting pictures next time, but with the snorkel on the truck I imagine it looked something like this.


Posted up at the dunes.


The last photo I took was on the dunes. The dogs loved it! The truck is full of dunes.


Great trip. Spent the second night on Cottonwood pass drinking pumpkin ales by a fire. Good times.

 

If I didn't hit it on the last trip, this weekend definitely pushed me over 1,000 miles offroad this season with Halfmoon Gultch trails - Mosquito Pass - Wheeler Lake

Met up with @09blacktaco Friday night and headed up to a awesome camp spot he new off the beaten path. Unfortunately he swore me to secrecy as to its location. Tried to net us a blue grouse to roast over the campfire, saw a couple, but didn't manage to bag one.

Saturday was off to Halfmoon Gultch. A trail I've never done nor heard anything about. Driving past the swarms of fourteener hikers was discouraging, but once we made it past the trailheads and 1,000 camp spots we were more or less on our own. First off, the leaves are changing, next weekend will probably be your best bet for a foliage run, two weeks might be too late:



Trail wandered way up a valley to the well preserved Champion Mill. Matt and I explored around in it, amazing construction, but it probably won't be around for long:



Wandered our way further up the ridge to the mine. Such an amazing shelf road and old minding relics. It was cool to look down on Independence pass as well:



Good view from the old cabin:



We then hiked up to the top of ridge to look back down the valley we came up. The hike was pretty steep, and at like 12,500', but the view was well worth it. You can just make out the mill we had just explored:



Also let us see the amazing construction for the tram system that conveyed ore down to the mill:





On the way back town, we decided to hit the side trip to Iron Mike Mine. Both of us made it up this fairly difficult obstacle, and then turned around due to time:



And, 14 months since my last, failed attempt, I finally made it over Mosquito. Matt and I busted it out in just over an hour:



A cold night of camping on the east side of Mosquito led to Wheeler lake with @teamhypoxia today. Didn't get any pictures, but Eric should have plenty.

Anyways, Halfmoon is an awesome trail with lots of old, relatively in-tact mining history that doesn't get much press. Another amazing weekend in the mountains of Colorado! Get out before the snow starts flying.

 

So I didn't get to join the first part of Matt and Brett's trip but I've been wanting to get to Wheeler lake ever since I missed it last year.

Finally got there today.

The first obstacle... Flop

Brett

Me


Matt



Second obstacle.... V notch (except we didn't take the notch on the way up. this is the far left line)

Brett


Me


Matt



The rest of the way up


Wide load


At the lake



Mine exploring






On the way back down, I turned around to hit the V




Down flop









All of my pictures are HERE

 

Lotsa tires in the air there. So you all made it up the line far left of the notch? Dry at the bottom?

 

Yeah, it didn't give us too much trouble.

We did pick up some mud at the bottom and there was a little tire spinning/slipping until we cleared the mud.

If I understood Matt right, it was a lot drier than when you guys went last year.

 

Hey guys, to those I've met hello and others, How do. I haven't really found a spot to post things. Here's one so well see how it goes. I have a 4runner and I don't live on the front range, so two strikes against me. My trip reports are to share the fun with like minded people and potentially share the experience with others in the furtue. Not a lot of ppl here like to drive their Toyotas the way I do. I live closer to NM but those boards are dead. I do a lot of the wheeling style you guys like. Here's a few from my favorite area. It's about 30 miles south of Colorado border though in NM, still a trip report but not CO per say. It rivals moab in the strict sense of wheeling. It has just as much moderate stuff and far more challenging things. It's not a destination place though so it is on no ones agenda for wheeling mecca. Four of us were there 6 hours Sunday and only saw one other person who was the sheriff. Did about 15 obstacles and didn't get 5 miles from the highway.

Better have sliders


Slider rash-the rocks were already stacked there I wasn't moving them and I don't think I really used them based on my line. My buddies went up to the left of where they are standing. I went up through the trough in the center.


wrong line

 

Nice pics!
I would say this is the right thread for them

Do any of these areas have trail names? Are they on traildamage or a similar site?
Wondering how to research them. Or are they your super sneaky secret sites?

 

You can go to 4x4tricks.com That is an older site that my friend has going. It has a rough map and trail names. With the trail names you can google " Farmington, choke cherry, the glade and add any of the trail names" lots of older videos and I have probably 40 of my own..

CB8zYS961Ns

how u post videos here?

 

click the icon that looks like two film strips and then copy the url in there

 

I went to school in Farmington back in 1998-2001. Chokecherry Canon was a great 4wheeling area for everyone because there was just about every difficulty level within walking distance. I need to go back some time. I never got to run the area over by Aztec

 

I know @lotsoftoys went to school here too, what's up Jase. I'll likely bugger up your thread until one day I get a gathering together. Here is a little more.